Love, Anonymous
by LostForWords07
Summary: Wolfram receives an anonymous letter from someone. And it doesn't bother Yuuri at all... or does it? Jealousy ensues. Yuuram. COMPLETE
1. Chapter 1

**Love, Anonymous**

**Disclaimer – If I owned KKM, I don't think I'd be writing fanfiction.**

**A/N – I won't write much here, the main A/N is at the end. So let's get on with the story!**

Wolfram looked around the deserted room. Dust coated every surface, as moths fluttered low over the sputtering candles. He looked skyward; the high ceiling gently sloped from the centre towards the sky-blue walls, which seemed to join seamlessly to the smooth wooden floor. Everything in the room had the tint of neglect in it. Wolfram scowled. Even if he hadn't used his room in quite a while, the maids should have still cleaned it. It was, after all, their duty to ensure that the castle was clean. He had a sneaking suspicion that they wanted him not to use it, and give up the idea of sleeping here if he ever came. Probably for those ridiculous bets they had over him and Yuuri. Wolfram von Bielefelt, however, was not one to give up, and closed the door behind him.

His mind drifted towards the reason he was in his old bedroom in the first place.

_I've been such an idiot._

Suddenly drained, he collapsed face-down onto the bed, causing the thick layer of dust to suddenly move up. Almost immediately, he felt darkness eating at the corners of his vision, as he gave in to the pleasant sensation of nothingness that was sleep.

_**Five hours ago – **_

The sea was calm, the weather was perfect. The dying sun cast its rays upon the sea. The birds flew across the sky and the moon was just visible in the opposite direction.

All this splendour and beauty was lost upon a young, black haired king, who was uncharacteristically angry. The wind ruffled his hair as he leaned on the edge of the ship. The day before, he had been at a meeting with the King of Zoracia. He was coming back from a meeting with the king of Zoracia, to suggest a truce with the demon kingdom, where Wolfram had typically misunderstood the princess's polite welcoming gesture. He had shouted at him loud enough for the whole of the kingdom to hear. Not that this was unusual in any way, after all, it happened whenever Yuuri travelled abroad with Wolfram. He would have usually smiled in an embarrassed way and never have mentioned it again. But this time, Wolfram's accusations were completely baseless – he hadn't so much as said anything to her. It didn't help that over the past few months, as he had neared his sixteenth birthday, he had been starting to act more and more like the Demon King, and had been subsequently losing his temper more often.

_It isn't my fault that it's traditional in Zoracia for monarchs to greet each other by kissing both cheeks! I thought he knew all those strange greetings from every kingdom. I shouldn't be the only one who has to learn all that complicated stuff…_

Yuuri had been relatively cold towards Wolfram since yesterday. Wolfram had noticed his attitude, and had started to avoid him. Yuuri ran a hand through his hair in frustration.

He had always felt that he, as the twenty-seventh Demon King of The Great Demon Kingdom, had a great life. He loved baseball, his daughter, and he had even started to get used to his kingly duties. There was, however, a small problem in this monarch's picture perfect life: his possessive fiancé, Wolfram. He didn't even have a reason to be suspicious. It's not like he _liked _that noble girl from Zoracia.

_It isn't even flirting, _Yuuri thought angrily, casting a sideways glance at Wolfram, who was slightly green, _Wolfram is just obsessive. In fact, the whole engagement was an accident._

_I'll have a word with him when we get back, _he vowed.

'Your majesty!'

The cries of one Gunter von Kleist could be heard over the whole of Covenant Castle. He swathed his favourite student and king in a hug. Wolfram remained oddly unresponsive. The rest of the castle assumed that this was due to his seasickness, but Yuuri knew better. He supposed that he could have gone a little easier on him, but the he needed to get Wolfram to leave him alone. The rest of the castle came down receive the party, which consisted of Yuuri, Conrad and Wolfram.

'How did the meeting go?' asked Gwendal, who had just arrived.

'It was a success,' answered Conrad, 'there are no longer war threats from that area.'

Celi came out along with Anissina.

'I see you're back from your cruise, mother,' said Conrad.

'Oh yes, all the good men seem to be taken,' she said, 'though I'll be setting off next week. I may have better luck then!'

'Gunter! Lemme go!'

'Yes, give me a chance!' cried Celi, though her eyes were on Wolfram, hoping to draw some kind of response.

Wolfram seemed to step out of some kind of stupor. He realized that everyone, with the exception of Yuuri and Conrad, was looking at him. He couldn't bear to shout at Yuuri, not after what had happened. Hoping to avoid suspicion, he promptly changed the topic, 'Shouldn't we be going for dinner? I mean…' He looked at the sky, 'it's getting dark. By the way, where is Greta?'

Celi looked at her son for a moment, but then quickly cottoned on, 'Well yes, of course Wolfie, you're right, we should be going. Greta is waiting for you inside. She missed you and Yuuri a lot.'

Ten minutes later they were all seated at the table. Greta was telling Yuuri about what she had been doing in his absence.

'I helped Anissina a bit with all of her inventions.'

'You're being far too modest, I wouldn't have been able to do it without you.'

Greta smiled, 'Thank you. Gwendal taught me how to knit cute things and Gunter read me some of Anissina's stories…'

She went on animatedly, and Yuuri smiled and nodded. He had missed his daughter. He looked up for an instant to glance at Wolfram, who was sitting on Greta's other side. He was talking with to Celi, and he looked troubled. Yuuri looked down again, to find Greta oddly quiet.

She was also grinning at him.

'So, what happened between you and Wolfram?' she whispered, 'come on, you can trust me.'

Yuuri was shocked. He never realized that his daughter was so astute.

'Ah… it is nothing of concern, Greta; it'll get sorted out in time,' he said, giving her a reassuring smile.

_I hope._

'Well then, as I was saying, Gwendal had to go to the village to sort out a dispute between two farmers over some property. I wanted to come along, but Gwendal said that I couldn't go, but I kept on insisting so he…'

Yuuri was only too happy to forget about his problems concerning Wolfram, and listened to Greta attentively, who paused only to take a sip of water or nibble on her food.

'Mother, it is nothing of concern. You don't need to bother about it.'

'But Wolfram, I've never seen you like this. You aren't acting like yourself. How am I supposed to help you if I don't know what's going on?'

Wolfram closed his eyes and rested his forehead on his palm, 'Thank you for your concern, but I can take care of myself. I'm not a child anymore, Mother.'

Celi smiled at him and laid her hand over his.

'It's okay to need your mother sometimes, Wolfram. It doesn't make you any weaker.'

Wolfram opened his emerald green eyes and looked at her strikingly similar ones. She continued to smile at him, 'It is okay if you don't want to talk about it now, Wolfram, you're probably tired after the long journey. I'll talk to you tomorrow.'

'Thank you, Mother.'

'Are you sure about this?'

'Positive. It's already half done… all that is needed is a slight push in the right direction.'

'I think so too.'

'That's a majority. What are we waiting for? Let's begin!'

After dinner, Yuuri headed for his bedroom, where he found Wolfram sitting on his bed, facing the opposite direction. Yuuri was both surprised and relieved to note that he was in his blue uniform.

'You don't need to say anything,' said Wolfram as soon as Yuuri entered the room.

'Actually, Wolfram, I think I do.'

He wished he didn't. He knew that it was time to tell Wolfram the truth. He wished he was anywhere but in his room, with Wolfram sitting in front of him. But it had to be done. And now was the time.

Wolfram didn't look around. He wasn't stupid. He knew what Yuuri wanted to say, but he couldn't bear to hear it. It would be too final.

'No, you don't,' he said, 'I know what you want to say, your majesty.'

'You do?' said Yuuri, feeling awkward.

Wolfram finally turned around and stepped gracefully off the bed, 'Thank you for allowing me to stay in your room, your majesty, but I know now how much I have been troubling you. You should have let me know sooner.'

Yuuri looked at him. This was how he had wanted things to turn out… but then why did he feel so empty and lonely?

'But…'

Wolfram looked up at him, and then to Yuuri's amazement, smiled, 'I hope we are still friends?'

'Of course we are,' he mumbled, and then, in a slightly annoyed voice, 'and you still retain the right to call me Yuuri.'

'Well then, goodnight, Yuuri.' With that, Wolfram strode out of the room, closing the door gently behind him. He let his smile collapse as soon as the door shut. He stood staring at the door foe a few seconds.

_Goodbye, wimp._

With that, he turned around and ran to his room.

_**The next day - **_

A sharp noise woke Wolfram from his deep sleep. Groaning, he sat up and opened his eyes.

There. The thing that had made the noise that had woken him up. Something on the window… the bright sunlight made it hard to make out… it looked white.

A messenger pigeon.

It was snow white, with a large, flat brown package tied to its leg. On the centre of that package, in small ornate letters, was his name. Wolfram looked at it in confusion. Finally, his curiosity got the better of him, and he ripped open the paper covering to reveal an envelope. He ran his hand through the thick, creamy parchment before melting the wax seal with a quick burst of fire and unfolded the letter.

_Dear Wolfram,_

_Everyday I see you, your beautiful hair, your stunning emerald eyes, I experience a most wonderful feeling… over time, I came to know that this feeling is called love. I love you, and everything about you. Your voice, your looks, your passion… It pains me to see you with someone else, and I know that I love you better. Consider this, and always know that I am there with you, wherever you are. _

_Love, Anonymous._

For one split second, Wolfram thought that it was from Yuuri, but then banished the thought. There was no point getting his hopes up for something that was never going to happen. This person, whoever they were, would probably be delighted to know that this 'someone else' was no longer with him. They might be less delighted to know, however, that he did not intend to answer this letter. Wolfram suddenly wished that he hadn't opened the letter.

The door suddenly opened and Doria entered the room, 'Your Excellency, your mother has asked for you. Lord Gwendal is also with her and wishes to discuss the long ride that was planned for today…'

Her words died on her tongue when her eyes fell on the paper he held in his hand. Her mouth dropped open. She dropped the tray with the glass of water, as the glass broke into a thousand pieces and the water spread in every direction.

'It isn't…' she whispered. She looked up at Wolfram's stunned face.

Wolfram opened his mouth to tell her that it wasn't what she thought it was, that it wasn't from a secret admirer… he couldn't bear to imagine the looks on everyone's faces if they found out. Gwendal would probably interrogate every person in the castle. Conrad would probably already know whom it was from, after all, he had a habit of spying on Wolfram from behind trees and pillars. His mother would tell him how much he was like her… to sum it up, it would be his worst nightmare.

'Doria, it's not what you…' but he saw from the distant look in her eyes that it was of no use.

She wasn't listening to him. Recovering from her shock, her brain automatically processed the information and came up with a single result – _Great gossip._

She turned around and ran to tell Sanguria, who in turn told a few soldiers, whose discussions were overheard by Gunter who wasted no time in going to tell Gwendal.

'It _cannot_ be true.'

'It _is,_' insisted Gunter, 'Doria has seen it first hand. Wolfram has received a letter from a secret admirer. By the expression on Wolfram's face, she says, he was shocked.'

Gwendal looked up from his stack of papers, and looked over Gunter's shoulder at the doorway, to find Yuuri standing there.

_**A/N – Thanks for reading, and please give me feedback – Was it good? Terrible? Absolutely revolting? I appreciate criticism of any kind, and please, please, PLEASE review. Even if its one word (of course, I prefer longer reviews, but get the point). It'll make my day. I'll update as soon as I get my first review, as then at least I won't feel like I'm writing for no one.**_

_**The next chapter will be better, I swear.**_

_**And I have given all the terms, titles, and names of places according to the dubbed version. For example, I'll have written Covenant Castle instead of Blood Pledge Castle. If you don't know what they're called, you can always PM me.**_

_**And don't forget to review, it'll only take a minute of your time. Thanks!**_


	2. Chapter 2

_**Love, Anonymous**_

_**Chapter Two**_

_**Disclaimer – I own nothing.**_

_**A/N – This chapter is dedicated to Mister-Wombat, MostlyLovely, pikeebo, sinful ang3l, TheDarkTraveller, ashantelle1830, IllusionAri, hottee39, kotori-chan88, kokoro192, Tenshi no Nanimo, chocowilliams, Yuuram88, eclst, ladyaymie, tenshi-gosuperu, priestessmykala, xYaoiGirlx, Eveliina92, vantea, juntomatsu, Cheska Hayden Elmore, tensai11, littlemisssweetheart, Jess Anime, 7blackrose and BlackYaoiKit. Thank you all for reviewing! And last but not least, my sister, arushi, for encouraging me to write and cooking for me as I wrote this. She's much more of a writer than me. I can't believe that she was the one who got the lesser number of reviews. **_

_**It's not that I don't appreciate the fact that people put this story on their alert and favourite lists, but I'd really like to hear from those of you who didn't review. I just want some feedback.**_

_**I'm sorry if the last chapter was confusing. If you didn't already figure it out, the part after Wolfram thanks his mother is a conversation between other people. When I read it on this site, it seemed like it was the same conversation. For some reason had deleted all the line breakers I had made. Any ideas on how to get a line breaker in? **_

_**Thank you so much for the reviews, it really meant a lot.**_

_**Well, I won't bore you, so I'll start off with the story.**_

Yuuri headed down the stairs, towards Gwendal's study. He was supposed to have been there five minutes ago. He groaned at the thought of the huge stack of papers he was to sign. Hopefully he would be forgiven for his lateness if he did the work quickly enough.

The memory of the recent events made him stop in his tracks. His dark hair came down over his face, obscuring his eyes. Wolfram… hopefully he would forgive him for leading him on, for making him believe that there was still hope. Maybe they could still have that same feeling of carefree fun when in each other's presence that they used to. Except without the constant expectations of love from him.

_Come to think of it, I haven't seen him since morning… I hope he's doing fine._

Then, remembering the stack of papers that were probably piled up neatly for him, just waiting to be signed, he ran to his destination. He stopped outside the door, chest heaving, and peered inside. To his surprise, Günter was there, talking to Gwendal. What got his attention even more was the _way _they were talking… it was as if they were scared of someone hearing them. Yuuri knew that he should probably mind his own business, but he couldn't resist; he leaned closer.

_That's odd, _he thought, _Günter was supposed to come after an hour to teach me history… did I mistake the time or some –_

His train of thought was interrupted by Gwendal's sharp voice.

'It _cannot _be true.'

'It _is,_' Günter pressed on, 'Doria has seen it first hand. Wolfram has received a letter from a secret admirer. By the expression on Wolfram's face, she…'

Yuuri drowned everything else out. Wolfram? Secret admirer? Unbidden, a feeling of intense, hot jealousy swept through him, almost choking him. He was dimly aware of the fact that the occupants of the room had realized that he was there, and were looking at him, as if afraid of him to erupt like Wolfram used to. He pushed down all of the anger and jealousy. He needed to know what had happened.

_Wolfram… you wouldn't…_

Yuuri couldn't believe his ears. He stood there, stock still, looking at Gunter for some kind of explanation. His eyes begged to be told that this was not true, that it was some kind of practical joke… it had to be. No one could like Wolfram while he was still here… he was _his _fiancé, wasn't he?

_He's not anymore, _he thought dully, _I was the one who made sure of that._

'Your Majesty…' started Günter, after an awkward pause, 'there is no need to worry. There is no proof that Wolfram has been in contact with this… _traitor, _or has heard from him before today. There is no need to trouble yourself. Gwendal will see to it that this person is found.'

Yuuri did not respond. He couldn't. He looked at Gwendal with huge, unbelieving eyes. Gwendal was still working out what to do if… no, _when _this person was found. Nevertheless, he responded to the king's quiet plea of comfort.

'You do not need to concern yourself, your majesty. I'm sure my brother would not so much as think of doing something so lowly as courting someone else while he is engaged to you –'

'That's the problem,' Yuuri said softly.

'And what is that supposed to mean?' asked Gwendal sharply.

Yuuri looked at the floor. His mouth suddenly went dry.

'I think I broke my engagement with Wolfram yesterday,' he said, still refusing to meet Gwendal's eye. How could he have been so blind? He couldn't bear to think of Wolfram with someone else. Why did he have to realize his feelings only now? When it was too late to do anything?

'You _think_?' asked Gwendal angrily.

Yuuri finally looked up, 'What on earth am I supposed to do?'

Yuuri assumed that Gwendal understood that he regretted what he had done. He did, but he wasn't about to forgive Yuuri for hurting his brother yet. He couldn't do anything but stare at him. He could barely believe his own ears… no, it could not be. That he, the greatest king to have ever lived since the time of Shinou himself, who was renowned for his kindness, generosity and wisdom, would do something as foolish as to throw away the most precious thing that was ever given to him? But on the other hand, it wasn't like he had realized Wolfram's worth before now…

But Yuuri was extremely upset.

_Well, he should be, _he thought sourly, _he's been stupider than I would have believed possible. And if he, the one who broke the engagement, is in this condition, Shinou knows what Wolfram is like._

Comforting him, however, was not his area of expertise. Celi probably went to talk to him, and in any case, he wasn't great shakes at giving personal advice. In fact, he was downright terrible. The last time he had tried giving advice to Wolfram, he had ended up doing him more harm than good. And that was back when Wolfram was barely twenty years old and was still young and obedient enough to listen to his elder brother's words. Shinou knew that Wolfram would never take his advice now. That job was better off left to their mother.

**Wolfram's room**

It was almost noon, and Wolfram was famished. He hadn't left his room since he had come there the previous night, simply because he couldn't bear the thought of going outside. The news had probably spread all over the castle by now. In fact, the whole kingdom would know about the mysterious letter, if the maids were quick enough. Gossip spread like wildfire in the Demon Kingdom. He could imagine clearly what would happen if he stepped out of the room – whispers following him wherever he went, maids giggling loudly and obviously, people muttering about his infidelity and hypocrisy, his brother's concerned looks, his mother's sympathetic one…

_It's just as good that no one enters here, _he thought, _they probably think I'm in Yuuri's room, with him jealous and fuming. Like he cares that much. After all, no one knows I'm staying here except Mother and Doria, and that's because Mother sent her. They probably all think that I'm still engaged to…_

He couldn't bear to think further. He was hungry, tired and emotionally drained. The sleep hadn't done him much good. His eyes fell on the letter. An extra load on his already complicated life. The letter was oddly beautiful, with the writing neat and elegant, slanting ever so subtly to the right – written in ink that was blood red, gleaming on the faded white parchment – the mysterious signature seemed to magnify the letter's charisma a thousand fold. Love, Anonymous.

_Who are you?_

He was saved from another hour of thinking about the various possibilities by a loud knock on the door. He didn't bother answering. If it was really that important, they wouldn't wait for an answer.

'Wolfie?'

Wolfram stood up. That was Celi's voice. He had completely forgotten about his mother's promise of a conversation. The door swung open.

'Mother?' he asked. Celi stood at the door, with some food in her hand. Looking at him made her nearly drop it. Her normally immaculate son was a complete mess. His blonde hair was messed up and dirty while his clothes were wrinkled. The most shocking aspect of him were his eyes… his beautiful emerald green eyes, which used to always shine with a passion that made them so uniquely _his… _were bloodshot, and looked dull and dead.

_Wolfram… what have you _done _to yourself?_

She opened her mouth as if to say something, but then shut it, and ran to her son and enveloped him in a hug, nearly knocking him over. She thrust the food into his numb hands.

'I've been _so _worried… as if your problems with his majesty aren't enough… that idiotic letter writer… what was he _thinking –? So _worried… you're probably half dead with hunger, you poor thing, you haven't come down since morning… you should take _care _of yourself better, Wolfie, it's not going to help if you starve yourself to death –'

'Thank you for coming, Mother.'

Celi stopped talking, and smiled at him, her eyes wet. Wolfram suddenly realized that she wasn't the only one who was crying. Hurriedly wiping the tears from his face to prevent the little pride he had left from leaving him, he set the tray down on a table.

_True warriors never cry, _he told himself. He had been repeating the same mantra over and over in his head ever since Conrad had entered the army. He had always wanted to join him, to fight by his side. Conrad never seemed to cry, and remained stoic even at Julia's death. Wolfram had believed it nearly impossible, and to him his brother was the epitome of a great warrior. He had always wanted to be like him. Not that Wolfram had ever told him this. He had a feeling Conrad just… understood.

He gestured towards one of the chairs that were leaning against the wall. Thick beams of sunlight entered the room through high, arched windows, colouring the room a rich, dazzling shade of gold.

'So, do I have your permission to look at the letter?' she asked.

Wolfram gave her a barely perceptible nod, his throat too constricted to speak. Celi gave him a fleeting, worried look before unfolding the letter. Her eyes skimmed across the page, taking everything in. After finishing it, she looked up at Wolfram.

'So, did you get any leads on who it is? And don't bother denying thinking about it, you don't have much to do in here,' she said, as he opened his mouth to argue.

He sighed, 'I've thought of _everyone… _but they're all impossible. First of all, hardly anyone even knew that I was here. And the people who did are all related to me, except Yuuri and Doria. And Yuuri wouldn't have sent it; he could have told me anything he wanted to yesterday. And Doria wouldn't have looked so shocked to see me with it if she had sent it.' He paused for a minute to think about other possibilities, but then shook his head.

'Just _who _could it be?'

'Well, Wolfram,' she said, 'you are not giving the people in the castle enough credit. They probably all know about your staying here in this room. And the reason behind it.' She tactfully avoided stating the facts directly. Wolfram noticed this, but didn't comment.

'Then why didn't anyone come to my room to call me for breakfast? If I knew everyone were already aware of my condition, I wouldn't have bothered hiding here like some kind of criminal.'

'Is that what you were doing?' Celi asked. Wolfram had never been one to hide from other people in fear of what they might think. He had always been refreshingly bold. This change in him showed just how much in his life had gone wrong. She shook her head sadly, 'You know how you are. They were scared that you would burn them alive on the spot.'

'Well, if they are so well aware of my personal life, they should also know by now that I barely have the strength to lift a finger, let alone summon fire.'

Celi smiled at the brief flicker of emotion in his eyes.

'Is there anything that you wish to tell me? Anything that you might have not mentioned?'

'Well… there is, actually,' said Wolfram.

Celi looked at him appraisingly. His posture was submissive, and he was nervously playing with his fingers. She knew that this was going to be a sensitive topic.

'Yuuri renounced our engagement yesterday.'

Celi couldn't believe him. How could he? Didn't he realize what he was putting Wolfram through? Well, he probably didn't, the king was a naturally kind person, and he wouldn't want to inflict pain on anyone, no matter who they were. But right now her concern was to comfort Wolfram.

'It's alright, Wolfie,' she said gently, 'forget about it. That chapter of your life is past. You should make a fresh start, maybe the letter –'

'No, Mother.'

Celi hadn't expected him to respond enthusiastically, but she sighed nevertheless, 'What do you want to do? I can only advise you, but this decision… is entirely your own.'

'Thank you.' He paused for a moment, as if unsure of what to do with himself, 'I… it's as if my whole life has been turned upside down and inside out. It's like nothing is stable anymore, and I can't depend on _anyone…_'

'Oh Wolfram…' Celi put a comforting arm around his shoulders.

'And,' he continued, gaining control of his voice again, 'I don't think I'm ready to just… forget him. I know that it is over, but I have no intention of replying to the letter now, or anytime in the future.'

'Well, I must say, whoever is to get you in the end will be a lucky person indeed.'

Wolfram smiled weakly. Talking to Celi made him release some of his pent up emotions.

'Thanks.'

'Well, I'll go now. You should get out of this room, its getting stuffy here. Eat and come downstairs to meet everyone. Prolonging the confrontation will make it worse.'

'Yes, of course. I'll be there.'

'Well then,' she said, rising from her chair, 'I'll see you soon.'

Wolfram too got up, 'Right,' he said, 'I'll be down in an hour. I just need to get a few things in order.' They walked to the door together. Celi walked out, closing the door silently behind her.

Wolfram couldn't help but feel a little apprehensive, but he knew that Celi was right. He had to face them sometime, and it was better done sooner than later. He looked at himself in the mirror, and grimaced. Well, he had better get started, then.

_**Gwendal's study –**_

Gwendal sighed.

'I take it that you have realized your feelings for him now?'

Yuuri didn't hesitate, 'Yes.'

'And that you want him back?'

'Yes.'

'Well, frankly, I'm surprised that you don't know what to do yet,' Gwendal said. Yuuri's heart skipped a beat.

'Really? What?'

'Well, talk to him of course,' Gwendal replied, 'it is the most effective way. You should go now. You may sign these papers later.'

Yuuri stammered a hurried thanks and half ran out of the room.

'Well, Gwendal, you _are _getting better at giving advice,' Gunter said.

'It was the only, and plainly obvious solution,' he replied, 'and now, if there is not any more gossip about my brother, I shall get back to work.' With that, he picked up his quill and started to write.

Gunter smiled. Even if Gwendal tried to hide it, he really did care for Yuuri and Wolfram's happiness.

_**The Castle Grounds –**_

'It did get a reaction, but it is not at all satisfactory.'

'That is true. We need new ideas.'

'I have one. In addition to the original plan, we can do something else…'

'Do you have anything particular in mind?'

'As a matter of fact,' he said, smiling deviously, 'I do. All we need is a little grease.'

_**Wolfram's room –**_

He was ready. Taking deep breaths to steady himself, Wolfram double checked his appearance. Satisfied, he opened the door, and heard a loud noise. He looked around for the source of the commotion, and saw a certain double black racing towards him. His eyes widened.

'Wolfram!' Yuuri shouted, 'I'm –'

He did not have the time to complete his sentence, because he slipped on some slippery, black liquid lying in his path and fell right through a door that was next to Wolfram's room. How that substance got there was not Wolfram's concern. Right now, he had to help Yuuri. He ran after him. Personal matters notwithstanding, Yuuri was his king, and it was his duty to protect him.

'YUURI!'

Wolfram grabbed his hand just before he fell. He did not, however, have time to brace himself for the force of Yuuri's fall, and got pulled in with him. They both fell into the room and down the stairs. To both of their horror, the ceiling collapsed on the stairs, trapping them in a tiny room, hardly bigger than a good sized broom cupboard.

They both had the same thought running through their mind.

_This is not good._

_**A/N – Well? How was it? And as before, please, please review. The more the reviews, the faster I write the story. I get more motivated, you see.**_

_**Thanks for reading!**_


	3. Chapter 3

_**Chapter 3**_

_**Chapter Summary – Yuuri and Wolfram are locked in a room. Loads of awkwardness follows.**_

_**Disclaimer – If you didn't get the message by now… oh well, I'll just have to repeat myself, then. I do not own Kyou Kara Maou. Never have and never will.**_

_**A/N – Thanks to all the people who reviewed the last chapter! I love all of your theories about what is going on. Some of you came VERY close, but no one got it exactly right. I really love to here from you, so please keep the reviews coming!**_

_**Has anyone seen OVA 5 and the third season? I've just seen the opening song… it's awesome. I don't think I've ever wished I knew Japanese more than now. Apparently two years in Japan are insufficient to learn the language… well, at least I know English. So now I'll just leave you alone with the chapter.**_

Yuuri was hyperventilating. Wolfram's heady scent, his close proximity, the way his soft hair was tickling his cheek… was all contributing to make Yuuri _very _uncomfortable. Yuuri groaned softly as the shock of the fall gave away to the unbearable pain in his head that made him feel like something was hitting the inside of his skull. That was when he realized that he and Wolfram were in a _very _awkward position.

Yuuri sat up hurriedly. He could barely make out the outline of his own fingers, it was almost pitch-black. It was just as well, because Yuuri could feel his face heating up. And Yuuri wouldn't want Wolfram to see that. With a start, he realized that Wolfram wasn't moving.

'Wolfram?' he asked worriedly. He did not respond. Yuuri started to panic, 'WOLFRAM?!'

Wolfram shook his head groggily.

'Wha –'

'You're alright!'

'Of course I am!' responded Wolfram, his pride kicking in, 'a fall won't kill me!'

Yuuri was surprised at his sharp tone, and feeling annoyed, said, 'You had me worried there, you know! You were out cold!'

Wolfram ignored him, 'Do you have any idea where we are?'

'It's too dark to see anything.'

Pushing all his confused emotions aside, Wolfram held up his hand and summoned a fireball with an elegant flick of his wrist. The sudden light blinded Yuuri, forcing him to cover his eyes with an arm.

The light illuminated the tiny room. The collapsed ceiling lay feet from them. They were very lucky not to get hurt. Wolfram held his hand higher. The white dust made it difficult to breathe, and the little light that did manage to enter was from a high window. Even if they somehow did manage to get up there, it was too small to get out of. The door lay beyond the heap of bricks and wood, and the rubble was too heavy to shift aside. Wolfram realized that they would not be able to get out without outside help. They were trapped in there till someone came to find them.

_This cannot get any worse, _he thought.

'Keep that down, Wolfram,' said Yuuri, 'You might set something on fire. And this room is really small… it's getting really warm.'

Wolfram banished the fire and sighed hopelessly, 'There's not much we can do here. It's up to the people outside to send a search party. I am supposed to be with Mother in about five minutes… maybe she'll look for us. She's bound to know that something is wrong if I don't come.'

'But we have to do something… we can't stay here – _alone _– till someone comes! That could be for hours!'

Yuuri instantly regretted saying that. It was obvious that he had hurt the blonde's feelings.

Wolfram felt insulted. Was he really that impossible to stay with?

'Well, forgive me, _Your Majesty_, because it looks like we'll just have to.'

Yuuri didn't know what to say to that. Normally, his brain would be swarming with ideas, which his mouth could get out only too fast. But now… he was completely blank. Maybe it was because Wolfram was so near… they had never been this close, not even when Wolfram used to sleep on his bed. They were practically nose to nose, forehead to forehead, lips to lips…

Yuuri shook his head like a drunken puppy.

_I have to stop thinking about things like that!_

Wolfram noticed, and was concerned at his ex-fiancé's odd behaviour, 'Is something wrong?'

'No, not really,' said Yuuri, feeling his face heating up again.

'That's good, then,' Wolfram said, feeling embarrassed at the odd stillness of the room

Yuuri looked at him nervously, searching for a topic for some kind of conversation. Anything to get rid of this hellish silence.

_**Outside Wolfram's bedroom –**_

'How can they be so daft?' said the taller man, 'Isn't this what they both wanted? It's wearing on my patience.'

'I suppose they are nervous,' explained the slightly shorter one, 'We did put them in a very awkward situation.'

'I had expected a better reaction than this. This is absolutely pathetic.'

'We just need to put two simple things together,' said the third, and shortest person, 'and voila, a masterpiece.'

_**Downstairs –**_

'Uh, so,' started Yuuri. Wolfram looked up, 'Nice weather out there, huh?'

Yuuri mentally slapped himself for coming up with such a ridiculous topic.

_The weather… honestly…_

Wolfram looked at him as if he had just grown an extra head, 'Yeah, I suppose. Pity we aren't out there.'

Yuuri's face was practically glowing in the dark.

_If there was a record for blushing, I would have broken it by now._

_**Outside the room –**_

'This is more entertaining than a soap opera.'

_**Downstairs – **_

'Umm…' Yuuri went on, 'do you know where we are now, you know, after seeing the room?'

Wolfram looked relieved at Yuuri's pointless banter, 'I can't be sure, but I'd say it's a confession room.'

'Huh? You mean, as in an interrogation room, used for criminals?'

'No,' explained Wolfram, 'that's upstairs. A confession room is where they put criminals if they don't tell the authorities about their plans... and when we already know that they're guilty. It hasn't been used for a long time, which explains its ceiling's weakness. The high ceiling is supposed to give the person an isolated feeling, while the stairs are supposed to give the illusion that he resides below everyone else. The size makes it all the more uncomfortable. It's all baloney, if you ask me, but the Demon Kings before Mother believed in torturing the mind to extract information. It wasn't a very successful idea, so it hasn't been used for over a hundred years.'

'I see,' said Yuuri, 'it's actually sort of creepy, now that I think about it.'

They were silent for a bit longer.

'So then, Yuuri,' said Wolfram, trying to sound conversational, 'what were you about to tell me?'

'About the weather?' asked Yuuri nervously.

'No, I mean, before we ended up here.'

Yuuri couldn't believe what he was going to do before they fell down the room. He couldn't tell Wolfram about his feelings right now, not after ignoring him for almost a year. Not when Wolfram would probably have given up on him. He wouldn't have blamed him if he did. He had been a terrible fiancé.

'Nothing important,' said Yuuri, scratching the back of his head in an embarrassed way. It was a mistake. His elbow knocked over an antique vase, which came crashing down inches from him and Wolfram.

'Yuuri! Are you hurt?'

'No,' said Yuuri, glad that the previous question was forgotten, 'it was close, though.'

Wolfram sighed in relief, and in an attempt to look annoyed, looked the other way.

'You are such a wimp,' he said dismissively.

Yuuri smiled at Wolfram's used of the word. He didn't ever think that he'd miss it.

_**In the main part of the castle –**_

Celi looked around in distress. Wolfram wasn't down by yet. He was supposed to be there five minutes ago. And now Yuuri was missing. At first, Gwendal said that it wasn't anything to worry about. She had had a feeling that he knew something that she didn't.

That wasn't the main issue, though. As the minutes ticked by, even Gwendal's stoic indifference melted away to anxiety.

_**Outside Wolfram's room –**_

'This is a confession room!' the man who was the nearest to the door, looking exasperated, 'they should confess by now!'

'Give them some time. And why is it taking you so long?' said the second man, who seemed much calmer.

'It _does _take time to write, you know,' said the third one irritably, 'I'm running out of words to describe how perfect he is. Why don't you try?'

_**Downstairs – **_

There was a sudden sound. As if of ruffling feathers. Of a pigeon.

_Please, no, _thought Wolfram, _haven't I been through enough?_

Apparently not, because against the bright afternoon light, the silhouette of a messenger pigeon was clearly visible.

_How the hell does this person know where I am? _

Yuuri seemed to sense that something was wrong and his eyes followed Wolfram's line of vision. Yuuri's eyes narrowed. Unbidden, the now familiar feeling of jealousy rose within him, clawing at his insides.

Yuuri cleared his throat.

'So,' he said, fighting to keep his voice even, 'do you know who this mysterious person is yet?'

Wolfram was hurt at Yuuri's indifferent tone. Did he really not care?

'No, not as yet,' he said, as the bird fluttered down, and in the absence of free space, perched on his shoulder, 'and how do you think he knows I'm here?'

'He's not following you, is he?' Yuuri said before he could stop himself. He realized that his words had sounded very possessive.

'Not that I know of,' said Wolfram, oblivious of Yuuri's feelings. He did not open the letter.

They were silent for a moment longer. The bird didn't budge.

'You should open it,' said Yuuri, 'go ahead. Maybe we can identify the writing.'

Wolfram looked at him nervously, and did what he least wanted to – and tore open the letter. Summoning a fireball, he held it low, as Yuuri leaned closer to get a better look at the letter.

_Dear Wolfram,_

_I hope my last letter did not take you by surprise, I did not mean to startle you._

_I see you everyday, and yet, each time I see you, I feel like I have reached paradise. You are perfect in every way, your stance, your looks, your passionate voice; your every move brings you closer to my heart. You are no mere mortal, you are an angel._

_I have heard that you are free of that man who called you his fiancé. That is good to hear, since it means that you are now free to be with me._

_Send me an answer through this bird – for it will not move till you do. Forgive me for my stubbornness, but I am desperate to hear from you._

_Love, Anonymous._

Wolfram could have imagined it, but he could have sworn Yuuri was giving him anxious looks, as if dreading he was going to accept this man's offer. Wolfram mentally shook his head; he wasn't going to get his hopes up. Not this time.

Yuuri looked at Wolfram nervously, 'So, what are you going to write?'

Wolfram looked up from the letter, his brow furrowed, 'If this person is so obsessed with me, I'll just tell him to get me out of this godforsaken place – he'll have to get me out. The bird can't know what I'm writing, can it?'

'Why aren't you giving him a direct answer?'

Wolfram could not believe what he was hearing. Surely Yuuri would not be so ruthless as to remind him of his unrequited feelings…

'Because I need time to think,' he said deliberately, stressing on each word, avoiding the specific answer.

Wolfram leaned over and took the quill that fell out if the envelope and started to write.

_**Outside Wolfram's room –**_

'To what extent will we have to fall to make them react?'

'Quite a bit. This is only the beginning.'

_**A/N – Okay, I know I updated a bit late. Four days isn't even that late… I updated the second chapter on Wednesday (don't blame me if it came on Tuesday here, it's not my fault that this site's time is thirteen and a half hours slow as compared to mine), and it's a Sunday today! I know this chapter probably isn't that good, but please review. It'll make me update faster. Despite all the homework, I swear.**_

_**Please, please review. It's only a click and a couple of words away.**_

_**Thanks!**_


	4. Chapter 4

_**Chapter 4**_

_**Disclaimer – Make a WILD guess whether I own Kyou Kara Maou or not. No prizes for giving the right answer.**_

_**A/N – I know a lot of you are wondering if I will continue this story, and not abandon it like countless people before me, and I'm telling you this – I will not abandon this. I think it has to do something with my pride, due to which I never stop anything I've started. I don't know if that's good or bad, but the bottom line is that this story will be completed.**_

_**Oh, and this will probably be the second last chapter. This will be a five chapter story; unless, of course, you want an epilogue.**_

'Have you seen Wolfram or Yuuri?'

This question was now being asked by all the nobles to any person they could get their hands on.

'No, I haven't seen His Excellency since yesterday.'

'His Majesty was with Sir von Walde, wasn't he?'

'There was a noise near His Excellency's room about two hours ago… it was like a door crashed or something.'

'What was that, Docascas?' asked Gwendal sharply.

Docascas drew himself even straighter up and said, 'A loud noise was heard from the West Wing, sire. It was as if a door crashed, and was followed by an even louder noise. It came from the general direction of His Excellency's room, sire. I did not pay it much heed, since there is the disused confession room there, and it had probably collapsed from the strain.'

'Anything else you may have forgotten to mention?'

'No, sir,' replied Docascas.

'Then you are dismissed,' said Gwendal in a gruff voice, 'Conrad, come with me.'

'Yes, sir.'

Following his elder brother's lead into the West Wing, Conrad could only wonder what was going on.

_**The Confession Room –**_

It had been hours since they had been stuck in that cursed room, and it had been over an hour since they had asked for help from that anonymous writer.

Just when they had given up hope of ever seeing the pigeon again, they heard the familiar sound of ruffling feathers again.

'Oh great,' said Yuuri, 'now he replies. Isn't he quick?'

Wolfram ignored him. Yuuri had been very irritable since the last letter had arrived. Probably because he had given up hope of seeing the outside world anytime soon.

The pigeon laid the letter near Wolfram's feet, and then, to their relief, flew away. Wolfram and Yuuri leaned closer, reading the elegantly written demon alphabets (Yuuri having mastered them only recently) under the light of Wolfram's orange-red fire. It read,

_Dear Wolfram, _

_I will not deny that I am intrigued by your answer. Stuck in a room with His Majesty? My, my, it looks like I have competition. I will not worry, though, his black hair and eyes are no match for me. I do not intend to get you out of there. Think of it as revenge for no direct answer. I know that I can be quite irritating when I want to be, but I cannot help it. It is simply too amusing; watching His Majesty's pathetic attempts to woo you provides excellent entertainment._

_I will wait for someone else to get you. I cannot risk showing you my face. I think that some people might already know of your whereabouts, but if they don't, I can simply tip someone off. You'll get out of there soon. Do not fret; I still love you as much as ever._

_Love, Anonymous._

Wolfram couldn't help but hate the irony in the letter. Yuuri, try to woo _him?_

Yuuri had felt nothing but jealousy and anger. And these feelings were comparatively new to him. If the letter-writer were in front of him, he knew that he would strangle him till he begged for mercy. Yuuri never knew that he could be so vindictive.

Five more minutes passed.

Wolfram's legs were cramped – he had held them in that same position for two hours, or even more. And he didn't dare unfold them in fear of getting Yuuri and himself into a more embarrassing position than in which they already were.

'How long is your boyfriend going to take in sending someone?' asked Yuuri, in an uncharacteristic peevish manner.

Wolfram's mouth dropped open. He had never realized how spiteful Yuuri could be when he wanted to.

'He is _not _my boyfriend,' said Wolfram, equally irritable, 'and I don't plan to make him mine either. So we might as well give up hope of this _loser _ever saving us.'

Yuuri suddenly felt very stupid, and also insanely happy.

'So…' he said, with an abrupt change in his manner, 'how do you think they'll find us?'

'Well,' said Wolfram, glad at Yuuri's change of topic, 'since this person is obviously not going to help us, if he was ever going to, I'm pinning my hopes on Mother for that. What happened to your tuition with Brother and Günter?'

'They've probably noticed that I've gone missing,' said Yuuri, 'I guess I was probably expected after an hour.'

Wolfram did not comment on the oddness of that statement, and went back to studying the floor. The light was almost non-existent now, as the afternoon faded to a grey dusk. It seemed like an eternity since he had last been outside.

'I hope they come soon,' said Wolfram.

As if in response to Wolfram's wish, there was a noise of boots hitting wood. Yuuri made a sudden movement of turning his head around, and cricked his neck. He yelled in pain.

'What's wrong?!' asked Wolfram, worried.

'My neck…' groaned Yuuri, 'it hurts.'

'Stay still.'

'Will you heal it?'

'Yes.'

Wolfram leaned closer, till his cheek brushed against Yuuri's. Wolfram didn't notice, being thoroughly engrossed in Yuuri's neck. Yuuri did, and for a moment, he forgot about the pain; all he could think about was Wolfram's scent, his blonde hair, his soft, satiny pink lips…

Yuuri went redder than a ripe tomato, and started moving his hands around in apparent embarrassment.

'Stop fidgeting, Yuuri,' advised Wolfram, 'it'll make your neck hurt even more.'

Wolfram leant his pale hand against Yuuri's neck, and closed his eyes. Yuuri took this opportunity to glance sideways at Wolfram. His face was illuminated by the ethereal light emanating from his hand. It made him look even more beautiful than ever.

_If that were possible, _thought Yuuri. _Even when I didn't acknowledge Wolfram as my fiancé, I still knew that he was the most beautiful person I'd ever seen. And ever will see. The letter writer was right. He __**is **__an angel…_

The thought of the letter writer made him start shaking in rage.

'Look,' said Wolfram, exasperated, as he opened his eyes to glare at Yuuri, 'I don't know what's going on in your head, and I'm not asking you either. But you have to stop exciting yourself. Healing is a delicate process, and gets influenced by these sort of things.'

'Okay,' said Yuuri, embarrassed, as he looked at Wolfram's emerald green eyes, wishing he could drown himself in their infinite depths.

Wolfram blushed.

'And you have to stop looking at me like that! It's making me nervous!'

'Okay,' repeated Yuuri, looking away. Secretly, he rejoiced at the thought of still having an effect on the fire demon.

As Wolfram closed his eyes again, Yuuri's eyes swivelled in his direction once again.

'Okay, it's done,' said Wolfram after a minute or two. Just as he was about to get up, the rubble around Yuuri and him suddenly lifted and floated upwards. Wolfram froze.

'Are you down there?' That was Gwendal's voice.

'Yuuri?' They recognized Conrad's voice, 'Wolfram? If you're there, please reply.'

'WE'RE HERE!' they said together. What remained of the door was open, and as the last of the debris floated out, it revealed Gwendal with his arm outstretched. Bright light entered the room, blinding Wolfram, who instinctively buried his face in Yuuri's chest. Yuuri was acutely aware of the way his hair was tickling his neck.

Gwendal shoes were now visible on the stairs. Wolfram and Yuuri sighed in relief. They tried to get away from each other. With a start, they realized that their limbs were thoroughly entangled. They struggled, and fell on the rough wooden floor, and were still all over each other. They looked at each other in shock.

'Well, it looks like the missing king, along with His Excellency Wolfram von Bielfelt, has been found,' said Gwendal in a gruff voice, with just the barest hint of a relieved smile. On reaching the bottom, he stopped. And stared.

'It's a relief we finally found you,' came Conrad's calm voice. He reached the room, and stopped on the stairs, since there wasn't much place to stand in it. He looked at his brother and his godson sprawled across the length of the room. He tilted his head and smiled, 'I see you've made up.'

'It's not what you think it is, Conrad!' said Yuuri quickly, 'we're stuck!'

'I would be surprised if you weren't like this,' said Gwendal, 'but please detangle yourselves and come out. Everyone has been very worried. It has been hours since you were last out.'

'He makes it sound like we're having a jolly good time here…' mumbled Yuuri, almost incoherently.

'Stop grumbling to yourself and come out.'

'We can't,' said Wolfram bluntly, 'we're stuck.'

'I see,' said Conrad, his smile fading slightly, as he edged through the corners and got hold of Yuuri under his arms. He pulled. Wolfram half came up with him, before sliding back to the ground, 'how did you happen to get in this position anyway? Ah, don't answer if you don't want to,' he continued, as his smile returned, brighter than ever, 'it seems personal.'

'Yuuri cricked his neck,' said Wolfram, 'and I was healing him.'

He was red from the events that had occurred in the past few minutes.

_Had I really buried my face in Yuuri's chest? He didn't even push me aside. But that was probably because he was in shock. It had felt so good…_

'Then, without further ado, let's move outside.'

_**In Wolfram's room –**_

'That was close. They had just come barging in! They could've given us some warning.'

'At least we're okay now.'

'In case you didn't notice,' the girl said, tossing her long brown hair behind her back, 'they're coming back up. We should get going.'

'Where?'

'Shinou's castle.'

_**Outside the Castle –**_

'Wolfie!' exclaimed Celi, standing near a fountain, 'you're back!'

'You talk as if I had been gone for a dangerous mission, Mother,' said Wolfram, walking up to her and giving her a hug. He smiled amusedly, but felt good for being missed all the same.

'Ah,' she said, 'feeling better, now?'

'Yes, Mother,' said Wolfram, 'much better.'

A short distance way from them, Greta was bombarding Yuuri with questions.

'So what did you do there?'

'There wasn't much to do, you see,' said Yuuri, embarrassed.

'Oh, and are you and Wolfram engaged again?'

'No,' said Yuuri, and then added jokingly, 'there wasn't much space for a slap, you know.'

'I see now…' said Greta, 'you might as well have told him then.'

'That isn't your concern, now, is it?' said Yuuri, 'so, tell me what you did when I wasn't here.'

'It was really boring, you know,' said Greta, 'nothing happened. We were all looking for you.'

'Right,' said Yuuri, 'now let's just –'

He slipped on some water that had escaped the fountain and staggered over to it. He tripped over one of the numerous stones that littered the ground near the fountain and instinctively grabbed the nearest thing to him – which just happened to be Wolfram.

They both fell into the water and he felt the snagging sensation near his midriff that always preceded his journeys to other worlds. A small whirlpool formed in the centre of the pool, as they both sank deeper and deeper into it.

_**Shinou's Temple –**_

'We didn't intend for this to happen!'

'Fate has a way of making things like this pass.'

'Stop it with the riddles, and tell the three of us what's going on!'

'Shinou didn't make it happen, and nor did Ulrike.'

'And I'm pretty sure Yuuri didn't transfer himself and Wolfram to Earth for the heck of it.'

'It could be his subconscious, which longs for Earth. I suppose he transferred Wolfram with him because his subconscious wanted Wolfram with him.'

'Stop it with his subconscious. All we want is to make him consciously aware of his feelings for Wolfram!'

'Fine. I can transfer you to Earth.'

'You can?'

'With the power of Shinou and Ulrike, yes, I can. Get into that pool.'

'Okay,' she said, stepping into the cool water. She couldn't help but be a little apprehensive. She had never been to this Earth she had heard so much about.

'I'm coming too,' said the young man who had been quiet the whole while, as he got in with her.

'Don't forget me,' said the other young man, who looked like he had barely passed out of childhood.

'Ah, alright, wait while I get the necessary things.'

_**On Earth –**_

Wolfram spat out a mouthful of water as he registered his surroundings. He seemed to be in some kind of public park, in a fountain that looked much like the one he had just fallen into. He looked around. There were kids playing around him. They were talking in a language that he was not familiar with.

Yuuri seemed to come around too. He seemed to be in the park that he and Murata would often come to. He saw all the children staring at them. Teenagers didn't usually play in fountains.

'Sorry,' said Yuuri, scratching the back of his head in an embarrassed way, 'we didn't mean to barge in like that…'

'Yuuri,' said Wolfram, surprised that he couldn't understand a word Yuuri was saying, 'what the hell are you saying?'

Yuuri realized that Wolfram wouldn't understand a thing he was saying, since he was speaking in Japanese.

'I'll explain later,' he said in the Demon Language, 'mom asked for a few ear-plug-language-converter things from Gwendal. She wanted to understand the Demon Language. I'll ask her for a one, she's sure to give it. Just wait for some time while I get things sorted out with these guys.'

'Okay,' said Wolfram. His questions could wait till later.

'So, um, if you don't mind, we'll be going now,' said Yuuri to the children, who looked at Wolfram's hair and eyes, fascinated. Blonde hair and green eyes weren't common in Japan.

'Sure,' said one of them, 'did you know that this pool isn't meant for people over twelve?'

'Ah, sorry about that,' said Yuuri, flashing them a carefree grin. He got up, dragging Wolfram with him. They were soaked to the bone, 'we didn't know.'

'Right,' said a girl suspiciously, 'bye, then.'

Laughing nervously, Yuuri took hold of Wolfram hand and ran towards his house.

'Yuu-chan!' exclaimed Miko excitedly at the sight of them, 'and you brought Wolf-chan with you too! How lovely! We have to do so much – buy him a wedding dress, buy a present for your birthday, gifts for everyone in New Makoku… oh, we have so much to do!'

_**A/N – This chapter had less matter than I had originally intended. Sorry for the late update, but I've been really busy. The next chapter will be out very soon. Sooner than this, I swear.**_

_**But this chapter was longer than the last... I spent four hours on it, and you probably finished it in thirty seconds. I know it's a pathetic excuse, but still.**_

_**The fifth OVA still hasn't been subbed! The third season has, and I've seen episode 79. I went nuts when I saw that it had been subbed. I ran all around the house and everyone could only wonder what was wrong with me. It is so awesome. Go see it if you haven't already XD.**_

_**Oh yeah, another thing – I enabled anonymous reviews, I didn't know that they were disabled. So please, please, please review!**_


	5. Chapter 5

_**Chapter 5**_

_**A/N – I know that none of you read the A/N at the beginning, so the main author's note is at the end. Enjoy the story!**_

Wolfram looked at Miko, wishing he could understand what Yuuri and she were saying. To him, it meant nothing, and it made him feel left out.

'Ah, Yuu-chan,' said Miko, 'how is your relationship with Wolf-chan progressing? How is everyone in the Demon Kingdom? You should clean your room as soon as possible – it's a complete mess. How you sleep in it, I'll never know.'

'Mom, we – '

'_Mama, _Yuu-chan,' she said. She then added, looking incredulous, 'reasons for coming can wait till later! We have so much to do!'

She suddenly noticed that they both were standing at the doorstep.

'How rude of me!' she exclaimed, 'not even inviting you in… what kind of mother am I? You both must be _freezing, _you're soaked to the bone!'

Yuuri loked at Wolfram's lost expression.

_Taking him in is up to me, then, _he thought, feeling self-conscious.

He took Wolfram's hand in his own and stepped over the threshold. This gesture did not go unnoticed. Miko clapped her hands in delight and said, 'Oh Yuu-chan, it's great to know that you two are closer to each other now, I – '

'Um, mom, can we talk about this later?'

'Its _mama, _Yuu-chan,' was Miko's swift answer, 'and of course we can talk about this later, and we _will _have a talk about it. We'll have a good long discussion on the wedding – did you say that you have a daughter in that world? We'll select a beautiful bridesmaid's dress for her, I was thinking about light pink, what do you think? Wolf-chan would look lovely in a dress, and – '

'Yeah, umm…' said Yuuri, 'do you still have those language converters Gwendal gave you? The thing is, this trip wasn't exactly planned, and uh, Wolfram can't understand what we're saying.'

'Not planned?' said Miko, frowning slightly. It lasted only a second, before her smile returned, wider than ever, 'did you two escape to have a romantic date? You shouldn't do things like that though… everyone must be really worried – '

'It's not like that!' Yuuri said, blushing to the roots of his hair.

'Then how is it?" asked Miko, her hands on her hips, then, lifting one finger to her chin, said, as if in thought, 'that is all unimportant, though. I think I kept the plugs in my room. I'll go get them, till then you take Wolf-chan to your room and get him ready.'

'Okay, I'll do that,' said Yuuri, 'but for what?'

'Have you forgotten?' asked Miko, 'we're going to see Sho-chan tonight. He had invited us over to see his new house last week, remember?'

'Ah, yes, I remember now,' said Yuuri, leading Wolfram to his room, 'I'll get him ready.'

'Yes, you do that,' said Miko. She then walked away, talking to herself about the joys to seeing one's son settled.

'What was Miko-san saying?' asked Wolfram, as soon as they reached Yuuri's room.

'She said that we're going to see Shori tonight,' said Yuuri, going through his wardrobe, 'and that I have to get you ready. I can lend you my clothes.'

'Where is Shori now?' asked Wolfram, seating himself cross-legged on the bed.

'He started working for Bob a couple of months back,' said Yuuri, 'and he just got this new house about two weeks ago. He's invited us over.'

'Oh. I see.'

Yuuri gave Wolfram a sideways glance and noticed that he was shivering.

'Hey,' he said, 'are you cold?'

'No,' said Wolfram, crossing his arms and glaring defiantly at the floor.

'Yes you are!' Yuuri insisted, 'there's no need to get all defensive about it! Here, take this.'

Yuuri picked up a quilt that was lying next to Wolfram and wrapped it around his shoulders. His fingers brushed against Wolfram's neck and the contact brought a blush to both of their faces. Wolfram looked up at Yuuri, and saw that he was concentrating on adjusting the quilt. This pleased him, as it meant that he had free reign to gaze into Yuuri's deep black eyes. Wolfram had hardly ever seen them so closely before, and never with Yuuri not looking.

Yuuri became acutely aware of the way Wolfram's wet hair was clinging to his pale skin. He found it irresistible.

For a brief second, Yuuri looked up, and their eyes met. Emerald clashed with onyx, and Yuuri couldn't have looked away to save his life. The magical moment came to an end when Wolfram looked away, clearing his throat nervously.

_Why did I do that? _He thought, _I'm just letting him hurt me all over again.._

'I –' said Yuuri, taking a step back and scratching the back of his head, 'I'm sorry about that.'

'You don't need to apologize,' mumbled Wolfram, wrapping the quilt tighter around himself.

Yuuri went back to choosing an outfit for Wolfram.

.

_What can I give him? _He thought, _he'd look amazing in anything I give him… I might as well ask him._

'What do you want to wear, Wolfram?'

'I don't know,' said Wolfram.

'What's your favourite colour?'

'Black,' said Wolfram instantly, the vivid memory of Yuuri's raven hair and obsidian eyes fresh in his mind.

'Black?' asked Yuuri, 'but I think green would look better on you, it would bring out your gorgeous eyes…'

'What?' asked Wolfram, positive that he had misheard Yuuri.

'Nothing,' said Yuuri, embarrassed.

Wolfram sensed Yuuri's discomfort and changed the topic.

'So, Shori's house…'

'Yeah,' answered Yuuri, 'he had invited us as soon as it was made, but dad couldn't get time off work. So we're going today.'

'It seems like a family thing,' said Wolfram 'just tell me if I'm – '

'You're not,' said Yuuri firmly, throwing Wolfram a pair of jet-black jeans and an emerald green t-shirt. They landed on his sodden hair and slid off onto the bed, 'I've already told you – you're like family.'

Wolfram looked at the clothes sadly.

'Right. Family.'

Yuuri didn't have time to try to figure out the reason behind Wolfram's disappointed tone, because at that moment, with a great flourish, Miko entered the room.

'Wolf-chan!' she said, 'I've got the plug!'

She threw it in his direction, and he caught it deftly. In his eagerness to put it on, he dropped it.

'I need to tell you something,' said Yuuri, finding Wolfram engaged in trying to retrieve the plug

'Yes, Yuu-chan?'

'I…' said Yuuri, wondering how to tell her. He gave Wolfram another fleeting look, and saw that he was looking for the plug under the bed, 'I broke our engagement.'

'You _what?_' asked Miko, 'and now what are you planning to do? It's obvious you like him now – blushing like crazy whenever he looks at you – you're worse than a love-sick puppy!'

'Yeah, I suppose,' said Yuuri nervously.

'_So?_'

Yuuri looked blank, 'So what?'

Miko didn't look the least bit exasperated. On the contrary, she looked like she had never been more excited in her life, 'When are you planning on telling him? Why _haven't_ you already?'

'He doesn't like me anymore, does he?'

Miko felt like thumping her son for being so insufferably dense. Wolfram was still bent over, his hand outstretched to reach the deepest recesses of the bed.

'Yuu-chan!' Miko exclaimed, 'have I really not taught you anything? It's crystal clear that Wolf-chan returns your feelings. What did you think, that he just forgot about you?

Yuuri didn't say anything. In truth, that _was _what he had thought.

Miko shook her head, 'Feelings aren't something that can fade away in a day, Yuu-chan. Wolf-chan loves you now as much as he ever did. He just isn't showing it in fear of not making you feel uncomfortable. Undoubtedly he did not notice your obvious attraction to him.'

'He really likes me?'

Miko smiled, 'Of course he does. You must be the only person who doesn't know it.'

'Really?'

'Yes. And now when do you plan to reinstate the engagement?'

Yuuri fell into thought, 'I should wait for the right moment, shouldn't I?'

'Yes, it would be better that way,' said Miko, and then added as an afterthought, 'and more romantic!'

'Mom!'

Miko giggled, as Wolfram inserted the plug into his ear.

'Now come down quickly, you two,' said Miko, 'your father will be here any minute now, and we'll set out then. I just have to pack up some curry – poor Sho-chan doesn't get any there, he probably misses it. Yuuri, you have to help in packing it, okay? Wolfram, go get changed now.'

'Yes, mom,' said Yuuri.

'Yes, Miko-san,' said Wolfram.

'Call me Mama, Yuu-chan, Wolf-chan,' she said, winking at the latter. She left the room, closing the door behind her.

Wolfram looked at Yuuri, 'She still thinks we're engaged?'

'Yeah,' said Yuuri, and then added, not knowing what else to say, 'maybe it's better that way.'

'This confused Wolfram, but he pushed it from his mind. He decided to tell her when he got the chance. She deserved to know the truth. Picking up his clothes, he left to change.

Yuuri sighed, looking at the door through which Wolfram had disappeared. He then got up to help his mother.

--

Five minutes later, they were all seated in the car. Wolfram's excitement was infectious.

'This is fabulous!' he said, 'the lights are glowing! It looks magical…'

'How come you weren't so awestruck on the aeroplane?' asked Yuuri.

'The what?'

'The thing we went to America in,' explained Yuuri.

Wolfram shrugged, 'That's because I was concentrating on the work at hand.'

'In that case,' said Miko, 'you should enjoy this trip. Who knows when you'll be able to come next time.'

Wolfram nodded, excited.

'What's that?' he asked, as they rushed past a shop.

'An ice-cream stand.'

'And that?'

'A bus stop.'

'And that?'

'An electricity pole.'

'It's really tall.'

'It is,' said Yuuri, grinning at Wolfram's mesmerized expression, feeling enchanted.

'What does it do?'

Time passed as Yuuri did his best to satisfy Wolfram's curiosity. Half an hour into their journey, Wolfram saw something that almost made his heart stop, 'How are the pictures in that box moving?'

Yuuri couldn't help but laugh at Wolfram's shocked expression, 'That's a television. It's nothing special.'

Wolfram looked at Yuuri, incredulous, 'What do you mean, nothing special? Whatever you do, don't let Anissina see it, she'll kill Brother in her attempts to create one.'

'Don't worry, I won't,' said Yuuri, unable to get his eyes off Wolfram. He was captivated by the way the golden street light reflected off Wolfram's hair. He noticed a strand of it was out of place. He leaned over to tuck it behind Wolfram's ear.

'If you'd concentrate on something other than each other,' said Miko, leaving them both blushing and sputtering. She looked anything but reprimanding, 'you'll realize that we have reached.'

They looked at the house. It was beautiful, with roses creeping over the walls and large, arched windows.

'My Sho-chan is doing so well for himself!' said Miko, her voice thick with emotion.

'Yeah, he is,' said Yuuri.

'It's great to know that you could all make it,' said Shori, stepping out of the door. He paused, sniffing the air, 'did you make me curry?'

'Yes,' said Miko, hugging him, 'you probably don't get any here. How I missed you! The house seems so empty without you!'

'Thanks for the curry, mom,' said Shori.

'_Mama, _Sho-chan,' she corrected gently.

'So, Shori,' said Yuuri, 'you have anyone to share this house with?'

Shori blanched.

'You found me a daughter-in-law?' asked Miko, 'I'm so happy!'

'So?' said Yuuri.

'Yuu-chan!' Shori exclaimed, blushing furiously. Yuuri looked as if Shori's reaction proved his point.

'Now, Shori, don't bother denying it,' said Yuuri sagely, wagging his finger, 'by the way, what's her name?'

'_That _can wait till later,' said Shori, crossing his arms, 'let's go inside. You brought Wolfram along with you, then?'

'Yeah,' said Yuuri, 'it was an unplanned trip.'

'Did he come alone?'

'Like I said, it was an on the spot decision.'

'What he means to say,' said Wolfram, walking to the door, 'is that he dragged me to earth with him.'

'I see,' said Shori, and then leaning toward Yuuri added, in a whisper, 'you just couldn't bear to be separated from your precious fiancé, could you, Yuu-chan?'

Yuuri shook his head angrily, 'I'm not the priority here!'

'Stop fighting,' said Miko, already half inside and peeking out of the door, 'my sons are meeting after a month apart and all they can do is fight! I wish I had daughters!'

'Well, we're bound to do our month's worth of fighting now,' said Yuuri.

'Come inside!'

'We're coming!' the two brothers said together.

--

They ended up face down in a pool that was near a two storeyed house. The house was pretty, with roses winding around it and ornate windows. Two boys were visible through them. One was blonde, the other boy's hair was jet black.

'Look,' said a boy who got up from the fountain, 'it's them! And just look at the way they're talking to each other! Are you sure they aren't already together?'

'Yes,' said the girl, tucking her sodden brown hair behind her ear, 'even though they both are being so obvious about their feelings.'

'Why can't they just figure it out?!'

'I think we should leave them alone now.'

'Yeah, they seem to be doing just fine.'

'I suppose it's because we did such a great job before.'

'All you did was sit in a corner and complain!' said younger boy.

'That wasn't me, it was you!' said the older one

'How can you – '

'Stop fighting, we need to get back,' said the girl.

'How?'

'He said that we would be able to get back when they would summon us,' said the girl. As soon as those words left her lips, a whirlpool began to form, and they were sucked back into the Demon Kingdom.

The Sage was ready to welcome them when they got out of the fountain.

'How was your trip?'

'Short,' said the girl.

'Well, it gave you satisfaction, didn't it?'

'I suppose,' she sighed.

'I wanted to ask you something, though,' said the Sage, 'when you know the outcome, what are you doing here?'

'We were bored,' said one of the boys.

'I see,' said the Sage.

'And they didn't witness it,' said the girl, 'I wanted them to see it first-hand.'

'Well, that answers my question,' he said, 'I suggest you stay her for a day or two to wait for them to come back. You can send another letter – it'll probably speed things up. You can then contact Anissina and return to your time.'

The girl nodded, 'Yeah, I know.'

'Okay, whatever you say,' said the younger boy, 'though why did you even send us there if it was only for a minute?'

'Because your sister wouldn't have let me be if I had not,' said the Sage, 'now wait here, the shrine maidens will get you food.'

--

The inside was even more majestic than the outside, with its sweeping, luxurious carpets and exquisite tapestries. The group was walking towards the living room. Yuuri and Shori were in the lead, followed by Wolfram, while Miko and Shoma brought up the rear. Yuuri was busy trying to persuade his brother to tell him the identity of his girlfriend.

'Ah, come on, Shori,' he said, 'you can tell me! I'm your brother!'

'I still won't tell you,' said Shori, 'you can't keep a secret to save your life.'

'That's not true!' said Yuuri indignantly, 'just give me a chance.'

'I will not,' said Shori.

'Please,' begged Yuuri, trying his best to look as pathetic as possible.

'No,' said Shori, 'unless…'

'Unless what?' asked Yuuri.

'Unless you tell me what made you realize your feelings for Wolfram,' said Shori quietly, so as to prevent Wolfram from hearing them, 'it seems like an interesting story. You wouldn't just relinquish your ideas about two boys in a relationship over a day, would you?'

'How do you know that I like him?'

'You are as obvious as ever, Yuu-chan.'

'Am I?' asked Yuuri.

'Yeah,' said Shori, 'how about the story?'

'I suppose I could do with advice on how to tell him,' said Yuuri, surprised by his own choice, 'and thenyou have to tell me about things at your end.'

'Okay,' said Shori grudgingly.

Behind them, Miko gestured to Wolfram to come to her.

'Yes, Miko-san?'

'Call me _mama, _Wolf-chan,' said Miko cheerfully.

'Yuuri may not have told you, but we're not engaged anymore,' said Wolfram quickly.

'I know that,' said Miko, 'but for my comfort, call me mama, even if it's not for your relationship with Yuuri.'

'Okay, mama,' said Wolfram, surprised at feeling only a light stab of pain at the mention of their past relationship, 'what did you wish to tell me?'

'Just that,' said Miko, and then added in a whisper, 'and don't give up hope yet.'

Wolfram didn't pay this piece of advice much heed, but for the sake of politeness said, 'I won't.'

'Good.'

Shori listened to Yuuri patiently while he recounted a short version of the happenings of the past two days.

'Well, it seems like my guess was correct,' said Shori, 'this _is _an interesting story.'

'Glad to know that you enjoyed it,' said Yuuri sarcastically.

'There's no need to get peevish about it.'

'I want advice.'

'I don't know why you didn't take Gwendal's advice and just tell him,' said Shori, with just the barest hint of exasperation in his voice.

'I don't really know that myself,' said Yuuri, 'but I know that I can't do it right now… I want this to be special for him.'

'I see,' said Shori, 'why don't you just propose again when you get back? It would be better if he had his friends and family with him at the moment.'

'What, you mean slap him?' asked Yuuri.

'Yes.'

'I could do that,' said Yuuri thoughtfully, 'I'll have to be careful to not do it too hard, though. I might hurt him.'

'You do that,' said Shori, 'and we've reached.'

'Oh, that's good,' said Yuuri, looking around the room. It was just as perfect as the rest of the house, 'and don't forget your promise, you have to – '

'Yuu-chan, can you help me unpack the curry?' asked Miko, 'you did this in a strange way – just look at this knot! It's far too thick; we'll have to cut it with a knife. Where's the kitchen, Sho-chan?'

'Second door on the left.'

'Right,' said Miko, 'come with me, Yuu-chan.'

'I'm coming,' said Yuuri, following her to the kitchen.

At that moment, Shoma's cell-phone began to ring, and he excused himself. Wolfram and Shori were left alone in the room. Wolfram felt nervous. He had never been alone with Shori before, unless you counted the time when he was possessed. He didn't know what to say.

'It's a beautiful house,' said Wolfram.

'Thank you,' replied Shori, looking at Wolfram appraisingly.

There was an awkward pause, before Shori said, 'Come with me, Wolfram.'

'Where?'

'You'll find out soon.'

Wolfram hesitated. Shori flashed him an amused look.

'Don't worry, I wont kill you.'

Wolfram followed Shori to a study. There, Shori opened one of the drawers and pulled out a small red velvet box.

'Did Yuuri ever tell you about how one proposes on Earth?'

'No,' said Wolfram, wondering where this was leading, 'we don't really talk about things like that.'

Shori nodded wordlessly.

'What is that?" asked Wolfram.

'It's a ring,' said Shori, 'on Earth, when one wishes to marry the one they love, they get down on one knee and offer the other person this ring. If they accept it, then they are engaged.'

Wolfram nodded, understanding. It was a much neater way. There would be no danger of stinging cheeks.

'I want you to have it,' said Shori.

'Why?'

'So that you can give it to Yuu-chan.'

Wolfram was at a loss for words. He felt tears sting his eyes, but he fought them back.

_Why is everyone doing this? It's not like he'll ever love me back._

'Don't you know that your brother doesn't have feelings for me?' he asked, fighting to keep his voice normal.

'Give him another chance,' said Shori, 'just keep it. If you don't want to give it to him, it's fine. But just in case you change your mind…'

Shori thrust in into his unresponsive hands. Wolfram opened in. Nestled in the blood-red velvet cushion, was a diamond ring.

'It's yours,' he said, shaking his head and holding it out to him, 'it would be stupid if I – '

'Don't worry about that,' said Shori, 'it's the thought that counts. The ring itself is secondary. And plus, Yuuri must have already told you – we're like family. Brothers-in-law, if everything works out.'

Wolfram looked at him, not knowing what to say.

'Keep it,' said Shori, 'you never know… he might just return your feelings.'

Wolfram was saved from responding to what he believed was an untrue statement by the arrival of Yuuri. Wolfram quickly pocketed the box. Yuuri was panting. He frowned on seeing them together.

'What are you two doing?' he asked, 'you should have said something before you went.'

'Sorry about that,' said Shori, 'I just wanted to show him something.'

'Right,' said Yuuri suspiciously.

'Now then,' said Miko, who just entered the room, 'who wants dinner? We just got the table laid out.'

'Come on,' said Shoma, laying a hand on Miko's shoulder, 'before the food gets cold.'

--

_**Two hours later, Yuuri's house – **_

'That trip was certainly satisfying,' said Miko.

'Shori didn't even tell me the name of his girlfriend!' said Yuuri, 'I wanted to know!'

'He'll tell us when he's ready,' said Shoma.

'Say, what did Shori want to show you, Wolfram?' asked Yuuri.

'Some Earth things he thought might interest me,' said Wolfram, thinking fast, 'I told him how fascinated I was by those things we saw while coming, he thought he'd show me other stuff.'

'What were they?' asked Yuuri, looking slightly suspicious.

'There was this thing called a microwave,' Wolfram said, remembering Ken mentioning something of the sort a long time ago.

'We should go back now,' said Yuuri, 'days must have past there.'

Saying that, Yuuri lead Wolfram to the bathroom.

'Bye Yuu-chan, Wolf-chan,' said Miko.

'Bye,' said Shoma.

'We'll try to come soon,' said Yuuri, filling the bath. When it was full, they jumped in, and were gone.

'Do you think things will work out fine, winner?' asked Miko, looking worried.

'I'm sure of it.'

--

_**The Demon Kingdom – **_

Yuuri got up, his hair dripping wet, from the fountain in Shinou's Temple. Conrad and Ken were there to receive them.

'There you are, Your Majesty,' said Conrad, 'and Wolfram.'

'Only two days have passed,' said Ken, and then added with a grin, 'so you don't have too much of paperwork this time.'

'That's good,' said Yuuri, 'but why did you send us there?'

'You sent yourself, Shibuya,' said Ken, 'we didn't have anything to do with it. You probably don't have proper control over your powers yet.'

'I'll have to work on mastering them, then' said Yuuri.

'Should we head back to the castle?' asked Wolfram.

'Yes,' said Conrad, handing them both towels, 'everyone is waiting.'

Yuuri glimpsed a shadow near one of the pillars, but it disappeared as soon as it had come. Yuuri blinked, coming to the conclusion that he had imagined it. Drying his hair, he headed back to the main castle, with Wolfram and Ken on either side.

'So, are there any new developments?' he asked Gwendal on reaching the castle.

'The King of Zoracia just joined the Great Demon Kingdom Alliance,' said Gwendal, 'that is all.'

'Oh, alright,' said Yuuri, 'hi there, Greta!'

'Yuuri! Wolfram!' screamed Greta, rushing from the doors to meet them. Celi followed her. Yuuri kneeled and spread out his arms and folded the running girl into his arms. She looked up, still holding onto his shoulders, and flashed him a dazzling smile.

'How have you been, Greta?' asked Wolfram, as Greta came to him.

'Great!' she said, 'how was Earth? What did you do there?'

'We did a lot of things,' said Wolfram, 'I'll tell you about them later.'

Greta nodded, content in seeing her fathers again.

'Did _anything_ else happen?' asked Yuuri, dragging Conrad aside and giving him meaningful look.

'No, there were no more letters, Your Majesty,' said Conrad, doing his best to hide his smile.

Wolfram overheard them He looked at them curiously, wondering why Yuuri would be bothered about the letters. Conrad's smile widened as he turned to him, a strange glint in his eye.

'Wolf,' said Celi, 'it's good to see you back, the trip was so unexpected. Your soldiers were trained by Conrad, so don't worry about that.'

'It's good to see you too, Mother,' said Wolfram, nodding his gratefulness to Conrad. The door opened once again, and the rest of the castle came in – Anissina, Giesela, Gunter, Hube and Nicola, who was carrying Eru. Following them were the maids, along with Docascas.

'This is a warm welcome,' commented Yuuri, 'Eru has grown since we last saw her!'

'She has,' Wolfram agreed.

It was the middle of the day, and the room was bathed with sunlight, which entered the room in thick beams through large windows. Birds fluttered against the azure sky, as the leaves danced in the light breeze. All the birds were either grey or black, with the exception of one. It glowed white against the sky and stood out from the rest. It was smaller than the others and was heading in a completely different direction – towards the castle. Nobody noticed it till it flew into the room.

Wolfram recognized it instantly. The colour flew from his face. Beside him, Yuuri stiffened. It dropped the letter near Wolfram's feet. Under the gaze of everyone present in the room, Wolfram made to pick it up.

Yuuri moved forward. Celi noticed his determined gaze. She giggled under her breath, and decided to add fuel to the fire.

'Wolfram, you should really answer this man, now' she said, 'he seems determined. And who know, he might be very handsome.'

This made Yuuri stiffen even further.

_This is the right moment, _he thought, _if not now, then when? I know this is the moment – I feel it._

'Wolfram,' he said commandingly, 'get up.'

Wolfram paused, and stood up, facing Yuuri. Yuuri was his King, and that sounded like an order. Then, to his amazement, he felt a hand hit his cheek. It stung, but that was lost on him. All he could feel was Yuuri's gaze. It was full of all that he had ever wanted from Yuuri – love – unconditional and pure. He felt tears sting the back of his eyes for the third time in forty-eight hours. But this time, they were tears of happiness.

_Is this a dream?_

Yuuri looked at Wolfram's shocked expression as their eyes met, and for a moment thought that Wolfram would reject him. He swallowed the lump in his throat.

'Wolfram von Bielfelt,' said the twenty-seventh King of the Great Demon Kingdom, 'will you marry me?'

Wolfram didn't know what to say. He was afraid of waking up any moment now and finding Yuuri avoiding him again. More out of instinct than actual thought, he kneeled down on one leg and took out the ring that was buried deep in his black jeans. He opened it and offered it to Yuuri, trying to remember what Shori had said.

'Yuuri Shibuya,' he said, 'will _you _marry _me?_'

For a moment, Yuuri was dumbstruck. He looked at the ring – it was beautiful. He then looked up at Wolfram's earnest face, his hopeful green eyes and pink lips. He felt like he couldn't get any happier.

He then did what he had been fantasizing about for two days. He grabbed Wolfram by the collar of his own shirt and dragged him up and wrapped his arms around him. He then pressed his lips against those pink ones that had never left his mind ever since he heard about the letter. He closed his eyes, concentrating on the soft feel of Wolfram's lips, savouring the sweet sugary flavor that they had… he tightened his hold on the blonde, never wanting to let go.

Wolfram was in paradise. He knew it. If this was a dream, he never wanted to wake up. He wished he could stay forever in those arms. He relished the feel of the tongue exploring his mouth, and he knew that all his desires had been fulfilled. For the first time in his life, Wolfram was content.

_This isn't a dream, _he thought, delirious with happiness, _it wouldn't be this good if this were my imagination._

They finally broke apart, gasping for breath.

'I accept,' they both said at the same time.

'Well, wasn't that a violent display of love,' said Celi, looking at their flushed faces.

They both blushed deeper as they registered their surroundings. Everyone was grinning, and even Gwendal managed a lopsided smile. Greta screamed with joy and she launched herself into her fathers' arms.

'That sorts out a lot of things,' said Ken, 'now how about the wedding? I suggest we invite Mama-san over for the planning – she'd hate to be left out.'

'Wait,' said Yuuri, 'what about the letter-writer?'

Ken's grin widened, 'There was no letter writer.'

'What?' asked Yuuri, 'but I saw it – when we were stuck in that room. It's right here!' He pointed at the letter on the floor.

'You misunderstand, Your Majesty,' said Conrad, 'he means that Wolfram had no admirer. The letters were a device to prompt you into action.'

'What?' said Wolfram, 'are our reactions really that predictable?'

'Whose idea was it?' asked Yuuri. He looked at Ken, 'it was yours, wasn't it? And how many of you were in?'

'Just Conrad, Ulrike, and I,' said Ken, 'and Lady Celi found out yesterday. And it wasn't my plan Shibuya, though I would like to take credit for this ingenious idea Greta thought of.'

'Me?' asked Greta, confused, 'I didn't do anything!'

'Technically, it wasn't you,' said Ken, 'there was time-traveling involved. The Greta I speak of is fifteen years old.'

'Time-traveling?' asked Wolfram.

'Greta along with two young men came here four days ago with the help of Anissina's time-machine.'

'I manage to create one?' asked Anissina, 'my plan is going to be a success?'

'You seem surprised,' commented Gwendal.

'I am not,' said Anissina, 'just pleased.'

'So Greta doesn't grow up to be a single woman?' asked Yuuri sadly.

'No,' said Ken, smiling, 'but he comes only three years later.'

'And who is the third?' asked Wolfram.

'I daresay you'll find out in a few months,' said Ken, his glasses flashing. Everyone knew it was of no use trying to coax the identity of the third person from Ken, he wasn't going to tell them.

'But what if they hadn't come?' asked Gunter.

'Things would have still worked themselves out,' explained Ken, 'the ultimate result would be the same – Yuuri would have married Wolfram, but it probably would have happened a few years later.'

'Then why did they come?' asked Gwendal.

'Greta wanted her companions to see your union first-hand,' said Ken, 'and now how about planning the wedding?'

--

Outside, three teenagers crouched below the window, watching the scene unfold before them.

'Well, that was a happy ending,' said Maximilian, Greta's adoptive brother, 'I'll be adopted in a few months, right?'

Greta nodded.

'It's weird seeing this, you know,' she said, 'I remember this happening.'

'This was very interesting,' said Albert, 'now shouldn't we be going back to our own time? Your fathers probably know where we are, but we should still try not to make them worry too much. I'll be the one in trouble if the thought of you somehow getting hurt enters their minds.'

Greta smiled at him and then admitted, 'That's true.'

'Yeah,' said Max.

--

_**Later that day – **_

Yuuri took Wolfram's hand, as he led them to, as he was delighted to think, _their_ room. The bed would be so much warmer with both of them in it. He smiled dreamily at the thought.

'I got a letter from mom today,' said Yuuri, 'they've moved in with Shori.'

'That's good to hear,' said Wolfram.

'They must be so happy,' said Yuuri.

'Are they coming here to discuss the wedding?'

'Yeah, they're coming in a week,' said Yuuri, 'so Celi postponed her cruise.'

He paused outside the door and turned around to face Wolfram.

'Look,' he said, 'I know I've a complete idiot – '

'And a wimp to boot,' added Wolfram, smirking.

'Yeah,' admitted Yuuri, 'so I'll understand if you don't want to – '

'Honestly Yuuri, what do I have to do to prove that I love you?'

'I have quite a few things in mind,' said Yuuri softly, leaning forward and kissing him again. He pushed him against the door, which slid open, revealing a spacious room with a bed with a huge canopy.

'I missed being here,' said Wolfram.

'I know,' said Yuuri, 'I missed you being here.'

Yuuri forgot for a moment about all his problems – being the King of a country, the troubles regarding Big Cimaron, school back on Earth… they all seemed so insignificant now. He knew that even if one of them did strike, it would all be okay, because he had his love by his side. And he knew that if Wolfram was with him, nothing could ever hurt him.

_**A/N – READ THIS!**_

_**It's over. I can barely believe it.**_

_**I have a very good reason for updating late. My computer had a virus. So all the software had to be cleared, and I didn't have access to any computer for a week. And when I did get it back, it lacked the software that connects it to the internet. So I wrote this chapter on the internet-less computer, hoping it would be connected to the web later on. I found out three days later that the internet was going to be installed in the desktop, not the laptop, where I had done all the work. So I had to copy out the whole thing into the desktop. I couldn't use a CD because I didn't have one. It took me two whole days to rewrite it, since I can only write during the afternoons. So it therefore took two weeks to get it out. I apologize even though I couldn't really have done anything. I made this chapter longer, so I hope it compensates for the lateness.**_

_**And thanks so much if you stuck with this so far. Thank you for reading this, even if you hated it with all your heart. Thank you if you are reading this today after you saw it was complete. Thank you, most of all, if you reviewed. And sorry if I messed up the last part and the plot was a letdown for you.**_

_**I'm sorry, there's not going to be an epilogue for this fic. I've thought about it, and I've tried many, many times to write one, but I just can't. I've no idea what to write in it, because I can't write a wedding scene. It comes out all horrid. And I definitely can't write lime or lemon. I'm really, really sorry.**_

_**Thank you to all my reviewers, who have made this story so amazing to write. I doubt I'll be writing any stories till the April of 2010, when my boards get over.**_

_**Anyway, thanks, for everything.**_


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